Google Cuts Another 200

It was just a couple of months ago that Google confirmed that it would be cutting 100 employee recruiters, its first layoffs, and so symbolic in the wake of the nearly 14,000 workers the company has hired over just the past three years.

The news sent a clear message that the recession was affecting every sector, and even robust companies, with billions in profits and billions more in the bank, were not immune to the downturn.

And now, Google is at it again: Google confirms that it will cut 200 positions in its sales and marketing departments and in the process, offers a rare admission of a strategy gone wrong. On the company's blog, global sales chief Omid Kordestani says, "Google has grown very quickly in a very short period of time. When companies grow that quickly it's almost impossible to get everything right—and we certainly didn't. In some areas we've created overlapping organizations which not only duplicate effort but also complicate the decision-making process. That makes our teams less effective and efficient than they should be. In addition, we over-invested in some areas in preparation for the growth trends we were experiencing at the time."

He didn't use the word "mistake," but he does cop to the fact that Google's meteoric growth made it impossible "to get everything right." And for a company like Google, that's a huge admission.

The company says it will take steps to let those affected workers seek alternative positions within Google, and those that leave will be offered severance.